“Thanks for dragging me along tonight. I needed this.”
“You’re welcome. I’m glad you came. With your usual schedule, I wouldn’t have even thought to ask you to come to a school party.” As soon as the words left his mouth, he gasped at his perceived insensitivity. “I am so sorry. I shouldn’t have said it like that.”
“But it’s true. In all reality, two days ago, I wouldn’t have been available tonight. I would have had a show. I couldn’t have gone with you.” I turned and looked at him. “I’m glad Icouldgo with you. And I’m glad Ididgo with you.”
Kirk smiled at me. I leaned in toward him as the elevator doors opened on our floor.
“Where have you been?” Johnny’s voice cut through the silence and through the moment.
“I was at a party,” I said, stepping out of the elevator. “How long have you been waiting for me to get back?”
“I came to check in on you and you weren’t around. You didn’t leave a note or nothing.”
“Oh geez, I totally forgot you said you’d come by and check on me.”
“It’s my fault,” Kirk said, trying to deflect some of the blame. “I kind of distracted her with baking cookies and a school party.”
“No, it’s my fault. I planned on texting you, but then Asher showed up.”
“Wait, step back,” Johnny said, looking at me like I’d grown a third eye. “Asher was here.”
“Yeah.”
“And no one died?” Johnny said. He turned to Kirk and asked, “Or did you help her hide the body?”
“No,” I said exasperatedly. “No one died. Asher and I are on speaking terms…of sorts. He wanted to check in on me.”
“After the riot act I read him last night, I’m amazed he had the gall to show his face in this building again.”
“Johnny, what did you do?”
“Nothing that didn’t need to be done years ago,” Johnny explained.
In that moment, if I had been Asher, I probably would have feared for my life. Johnny looked like he was ready to rumble and throw down. Of course, he wouldn’t because that could cause his expensive leather boots to get scuffed.
I glanced at Kirk and mouthed, “I’m sorry.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow, Erika,” he said. “See ya, Johnny. Erika is one lucky lady to have someone like you in her corner.”
“Don’t tell him that,” I joked. “We don’t want his ego to swell.”
“Oh honey, you know my ego is large enough to fill this building. It can’t swell any more than it already has.” This caused all three of us to laugh. Kirk entered his apartment, then I entered mine and Johnny followed me inside. Part of me craved to tell him to go home, but I couldn’t do that.
I took off my coat, hung it, and squatted down to pet the white furball weaving in and out of my legs.
“I’m sorry, Mr. Bootsy. Was I gone too long? Did you miss momma?”
“I will never understand people who talk to their animals. I’ll call you Dr. Dolittle.” He paused for a second before adding, “I was inDoctor Dolittlewhen I was in college. I played a llama.”
“Do I want to know?” I asked.
“No,” he admitted with a smile. “It was as weird as it sounds. So, changing topics. You and Kirk seem to be getting close?”
“We’re just friends.”
“Uh-huh. And you’re telling me that if I hadn’t been standing right outside that elevator when the doors opened, you wouldn’t be doing the horizontal mambo right now?”
“Johnny!”
